James Whitaker challenges Greg O’Connor for “worst police spokesman” role

to attract intelligent, balanced, non-judgmental young people, … using a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour

(Just to show how cool and edgy they are, one ad references Justin Bieber. Topical!)

And apparently they decided this would be a good idea:

(A dark blue poster reading “We’ve got a lot in common with cougars. We like ’em young too.”)

LudditeJourno neatly sums up the issues around “cougar” (ie LOL OLDER WOMEN WITH SEX DRIVES ARE HILARIOUS AND ALSO ICKY) but there’s a much bigger, more specific problem with this.

And I’m just not sure how the fuck someone paid to take care of Police PR managed to miss it.

(Oh wait, misogyny and ego probably answer that one.)

Have we forgotten Clint Rickards so soon? Are we meant to ignore the many, many stories of police officers abusing their power to have sex with vulnerable young women?

I mean, it’s not like any reports have come out recently which state the Police still have ingrained, shitty attitudes towards women and a boys-club mentality … oh, wait, scratch that.

And now some genius has decided that the way to entice Kiwi kids to join the force is to use sexually-suggestive advertising talking about “liking them young”.

Oh, wait, there I go reading things the wrong way again:

“All of the adverts in the current campaign are youth-centric, and use ideas like earning a good salary, skipping to the front of a queue, etc, and language that youth commonly use and see as perfectly acceptable.

“Cougars are merely identified as a group that are interested in those under 25 years old – as are we when we are looking to attract new police recruits.”

Merely identified, people. That’s all cougars are, they’re just interested in having “naughty” sex with young people.

Who the fuck does James Whitaker think he’s kidding?

All of the adverts in the current campaign are clueless-misogynist-centric, and use ideas like treating older women as freaks, covering up for your mates and raping vulnerable women that cops commonly use and see as perfectly acceptable.

13 comments

I’ve seen posters with the same look and feel as police campaigns, with more obviously anti-police slogans. I thought someone who really hated cops had just gotten more professional-looking. I don’t know how anyone could take the “we like them young” any other way. Fail.

C’mon don’t be so SILLY. It’s the PERFECT campaign to find (weed out) the right women for the Police force! It’s a test whether they appreciate their sense of humour. If they do – GREAT! Totes invested in the patriarchy is the top skill set we’re looking for in our girls. And if that makes them lesbo butch…well, we have certain “correctives” for that, don’t we lads hur hur…

Oh lord, I saw that the other day on the way to the supermarket and almost took a pic to send to you because wtf I don’t even, but decided I wasn’t having a good enough day to even touch it. I got nothing.